01/17/2012

book worm

I have had my nose stuck in these books the past few weeks
except for a brief period when I was waiting to get my hands on the second one, thanks Heather!
have you heard of the Hunger Games series?
if not, you should
I was skeptical at first, ” So it is about teenagers killing each other to survive?”
oh, but it is so much better than that
I am on the second book right now
I will agree with Hannah, it isn’t as intense as the first, but still good
and I am only half of the way done
can’t wait for the movie when it comes out in March
I think some of my small group girls and I are going to go see it together
if you have read the series, let me know your thoughts?
Gale or Peeta? ;)

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01/09/2012

meal plan

I have some exciting news to share with you all, that is considering I am not the only one who just heard about Pepperplate?
It is an online database that you can house all your recipes in one spot, kind of like pinterest but better in my opinion. There are certain websites (food network, all recipes, etc) that the website supports and in that case you can just input your link and it will update all the ingredients, directions and a picture for you. If you can’t find your recipe on one of the supporting sites or have a lot of 4×4 note cards at home, you can manually put them in. Furthermore, there is a calendar for meal planning and a shopping list that you can add your recipes too and it automatically calculates which category each ingredient falls under.

Easy right? I already have 74 recipes uploaded. Try it out and let me know what you think (that is unless I am the only one that just found out about it!?)

Monday- Butternut Squash Stew and Cafe Green Salad The Butternut Squash Stew was delicious! I forgot to add in the spinach at the end and added in some ground turkey and it was awesome. Served over rice.

Tuesday-Roasted Butternut Baked Penne w/ green salad ( I am on a bit of a Butternut Squash kick ;)

Wednesday- TBD

Thursday-Small Group/DC

Friday- Chicago!!

Snacks: Homemade Chewy Granola Bars ( last time I made these they were too sweet, so I only used a 1/2 cup honey and I added in a mixture of coconut, dried cherries and slivered almonds)

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01/09/2012

bling

this weekend was super relaxing and low key
Friday night we went out with friends for Pho
and then stayed up until 1am playing Monopoly Deal
Saturday we both slept in, late

and except once to get milk and a few groceries, I didn’t leave the house all day
it was wonderful
between church and football, Sunday was both busy and relaxing as well
did anyone watch the Denver vs. Steelers game?
whew that was a crazy game, glad Denver won!

oh and hubs surprised me with a new iphone case!
it is the perfect amount of bling without being over the top
and it was under $2 on Amazon
you can score your own here, now it is only $0.07!!

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01/05/2012

love

At church this past Sunday, one of our pastors gave a really wonderful sermon
it cut me to the heart
realizing that I will never fully understand the depth of God’s love for me
it made me cry
it made me think
but more importantly, it made me want to change
you can listen to it here

 

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01/03/2012

meal plan

Whelp, it’s back to the regular grind. As much as I love vacation, the eating part is rough on me. I feel like I have eaten my weight in Christmas cookies and fudge the past few months. I am glad to get back to some regular, healthful meals with lots of Winter vegetables, mixed in.

Monday- Manicotti w/ Brussels Sprouts, Green Salad

Tuesday- Chicken Tortilla Soup w/ Green Salad

Wednesday-Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops w/ Couscous

Thursday-Small Group/leftovers

Friday-Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
Snacks: carrots, homemade roasted red pepper hummus, roasted almonds, satsumas,bananas

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01/03/2012

weekend

1. chocolate covered cranberries, delicious
2. new nail polish and food magazines
3. playing spades on New Year’s Eve
4. Christmas is packed and being put away
5. new earrings from my sister for Christmas
6. playing fetch at the park
7. brussels for dinner
8. ending vacation with a game of Scrabble and mugs of hot chocolate

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12/29/2011

Christmas (in pictures)

1. Christmas Eve at the grandparent’s
2. Christmas morning/breakfast
3. tired hubs and pup after a long day of presents
4. Leavenworth
5. brats & sauerkraut for lunch
6. loving my new coat
7. more Leavenworth
8. minestrone soup

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12/28/2011

meal plan

This week is pretty weak on meals. The only actual meal I will be making is tonight (Minestrone Soup) and Friday (hopefully). After eating so many holiday treats that past few weeks I am looking forward to having a nice vegetable rich soup tonight. Michael Chiarello is one of my favorite Food Network chefs. Too bad he didn’t win the Next Iron Chef. I was rooting for him!

Monday-Orange Chicken & brown rice (a la Trader Joes)

Tuesday-Leavenworth/out

Wednesday-Super Quick Minestrone Soup w/bread (my favorite minestrone soup ever!)

Thursday-Dinner at friend’s house

Friday-Tacos

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12/28/2011

checking in

Hello there!
just checking in to say hi and let you know I am still alive
I had a wonderful Christmas vacation and was so spoiled by my dear husband, family and friends
pictures to come I promise
hope you are all having a great Christmas break and New Years
which reminds me, we do not have plans yet for New Years
we are keeping our options open ;)

 

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12/21/2011

meal plan

It’s Christmas week!!! I love that is only a four day work week and even more excited that next week it is a three day work week. I hope you all get some much deserved time off and spend it with loved ones. Make some delicious meals too if you get a chance. Let me just say that I ate way too many Christmas cookies and homemade fudge this past weekend. While short on dinners this week, I can be sure we will not be short on eating!

I am going to attempt a new Sam family tradition on Christmas, homemade Cinnamon Rolls. My Mom always makes them Christmas morning, but this year we will be at home for breakfast and I don’t think I can handle not eating a homemade Cinnamon Roll, just would not be the same :)

Monday-Roast Chicken, sauteed Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Potatoes and Molten Lava Cakes (we had dear friends over for dinner and even though I butchered the chicken, we had fun ;)

Tuesday- Pesto, Tomato and Mozzarella Paninis w/ carrots and hummus

Wednesday- Tex-Mex Chili w/ garbanzo beans and corn bread

Thursday-Small Group Party

Friday-TBD

Saturday-Christmas Eve/Grandparent’s

Sunday-Overnight Cinnamon Rolls (Christmas breakfast)

 

How about you? Do you have any family favorites or holiday traditions when it comes to food?

 

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